


Bookworms

by wanderingbeauty



Category: Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-29
Updated: 2017-09-29
Packaged: 2019-01-06 20:56:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12218811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wanderingbeauty/pseuds/wanderingbeauty
Summary: Anonymous asked: could you write about Adam and Belle debating books (theories, pairings, etc.)? I think that could be really cute.





	Bookworms

The Beast collapsed onto the couch next to her. It was nearly noon and she had yet to come down for breakfast. He knew he’d find her in the library – he was starting to think giving it to her had been a huge mistake. “Which book steals all of your attention today?”

She smiled without looking up. “A collection of sonnets.”

“Will you read one to me?”

She immediately turned to a page he noticed was dog-eared. As soon as the first line was uttered, he knew exactly what it was.

She finished and looked over at him almost expectantly. Taking that as a cue, he said, “You know, as much as Donne wanted to paint a picture of being brave in the face of Death – and perhaps apathetic to its presence – I think he was just as scared as anyone else.” She shut the book and put her chin in her hand. He chuckled. “You can’t tell me that he hasn’t thought about the afterlife and had his breath taken away at least once.”

“Well, according to him, Death is the only thing that truly dies. Sure, our bodies will no longer be here, but bodies are only temporary. The spirit will never know death. In a way that’s very comforting.”

After a moment of pondering, he said, “Do you have another?”

She flipped to another dog-eared page and smiled almost as soon as the first word left her mouth. He rolled his eyes at her choice, but she took no notice of it.

“It’s one of my favorites,” she concluded.

“Imagine that.”

“What do you have against Shakespeare?”

“Allow me to translate that sonnet for you – you’re uncomfortable to look at and your voice grates on my ears. But you’re not a goddess so I suppose you’ll have to do – in all your earthly plainness.”

“Exactly! Isn’t that beautiful? He loves her even though she doesn’t fit the standard mold.”

“Yes, how charming. And I’m assuming you’re under the impression that The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a touching romance novel as well?”

“Well, not exactly.” When he grunted in surprise, she continued. “I feel it’s more Esmeralda’s story than Quasimodo’s. That said, though, she doesn’t exactly change much throughout the story – she remains a waif up until the end. I wish she were stronger.”

“Yes, well,” he leaned back onto the couch, “apparently there’s no room for strong women in literature.”

///  
“What do you think of Ophelia?” he asked while they were taking a stroll around the castle grounds.

“I question whether or not she loved him.”

“Do you think she committed suicide?”

“Yes.”

He nearly growled at her. “She was mad. She had no idea what she was doing.”

“She was distraught over the death of her father! She was grieving!”

“Her grief left her insane. The branch broke and she fell into the river. There’s no way she would’ve jumped.” He shook his head, seeming to be legitimately angry. “But anyway, were it a real suicide, the way it’s viewed is disgusting. All those paintings of her in a clean white gown, flowers in her hair, romantically jumping into the river…” He shuddered. “It’s enough to make your skin crawl.”

“Why don’t you tell me how you really feel?” A sudden breeze blew past them and she shivered, hugging herself tightly.

Without a word, he took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders.

///  
“Christine Daae!” She nearly screamed over the breakfast table. “She is a strong female character.”

He stopped chewing his oatmeal. “In what way? She spends the entire novel scared for her life and jumps into Raoul’s arms for no reason other than safety.”

“She chooses Erik because she knows he’ll let Raoul go. That is amazing character development.” She paused. “And she did love Raoul.”

“She loved the thought of him. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t do the same in her place – of course she would choose Erik! Lover or not, she’d still have someone’s blood on her hands otherwise.”

///  
“Romeo and Juliet are idiots.” He huffed as he climbed one of the tallest ladders to retrieve a book he thought she’d might like. “There’s no way anyone can fall in love after just one night – and only one dance, mind you. It’s completely unrealistic.”

“Don’t you live in an enchanted castle littered with sentient objects?”

Retrieving the book, he leapt down onto the floor, landing with a loud thud beside her. “One dance,” he repeated, ignoring her comment, “and he’s at her window spewing nonsense like he’s been in love with her his whole life.”

“I refuse to believe you’ve never experienced that.”

“Experienced what?”

“Being in love. Seeing a beautiful woman and just falling in love with her instantly. Suddenly it’s like she and you are the only two people in the world. All you want to do is talk to her, be with her…” She looked over at him. “You’ve never felt that?”

“Actually, now that you mention it,” he paused and gazed at her. “Yes. I think I have.” They locked eyes and he watched her cheeks turn pink. He shoved the book into her hands and looked away from her. “Julius Cesar is a much better play,” he mumbled. “You should read that one sometime.”

“I have.”

He bristled.

///  
Adam poked his head into the library with a smile. “Darling, go get your coat.”

She looked up from the book she was reading. “Why?”

He sauntered into the room and took her hands, pulling her to her feet. “You and I are going to see Romeo and Juliet tonight.”

He saw love in her eyes, but her eyebrows were raised. “I thought they were idiots.”

“Yes, well, I’ve actually read it again.” He kissed her. “Let’s just say I’ve had a change of heart.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please send any requests to my Tumblr inbox!  
> wanderingbeauty


End file.
